Unserious Satellite Radio

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Band: The Rolling Stones
Record: Tattoo You
Track: Start me up
Ok, pod-casting is not new. BUT(A big one) why not make it new. You would think that kids would jump for joy at the chance to digitalize their voice. Not! Old news. They play life-like video games at home, in the car, in the waiting room, everywhere...so why would reading a story, telling a joke, or announcing a video sporting event into a ten-dollar mic get them jazzed? It doesn't. So, here's how to start 'em up again. You need to make it cool. The word cool isn't new, but the concept of cool is fluid. The meaning is always changing.
How do you follow the cool trend with kids?
1. Listen to them talk to each other when they think you are not listening.
2. Watch cartoons.
3. Yes, play a video game or two.
4. Ask them what's on their IPOD or in their CD player.
5. Value what they enjoy and talk to them seriously about it.
Here's my coolness. Music is cool. I've created a faux radio station on my school website for story pod-casting. "Channel 28- Unserious Satellite Radio- The Dragon- We're all WRITE and Never Wrong!"
That's the intro, with music in the background. I usually hire some spunky personalities to record the intros and then add the stories whenever a student has a publishable piece.
Music jump starts their motivation to work hard on a story so they can publish it on the radio station. I also let the kids pick some of the music or genres for the intros. Cool.
Here's the link to my website so you can hear what I'm talking about.
http://web.mac.com/gaetanp/iWeb/MrP/Podcast/Podcast.html
Nothing to it, but to do it.

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